


Not Everyone's a Friend

by shewritesall



Series: Romanogers Short Stories [26]
Category: Marvel, Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - College/University, F/M, Finals, First Dates, First Kiss, Firsts, Fluff and Angst, Friends to Lovers, Implied/Referenced Sexual Assault, Sneaking Around, high school friends - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-22
Updated: 2019-07-30
Packaged: 2020-06-23 11:58:17
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 13
Words: 16,232
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19700902
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/shewritesall/pseuds/shewritesall
Summary: The Romanogers college AU you didn't know you needed until now.  The Avengers are college students and must rely on each other to survive the next four years away from home.A short series of one-shots/short stories with various plots and themes. Can be read as a strange, kind of plot-less single story that ends abruptly or as multiple one-shots related to each other and moving in chronological order.





	1. Bouncers Are Lame

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Natasha and Steve get bored of being cooped up in the apartment and decide a night on the town would do them good. Unfortunately, Natasha's plan doesn't go how she expected (or does it?).

"It's official!" Tony announced, throwing his notebook on the ground in front of him. "Professor Peterson hates me and wants me to fail in life."

"How'd you come to that conclusion?" Bruce mused, pausing his reading of _Science Weekly_ to entertain Tony for a few short minutes. The latter had been working studiously on an assignment in the middle of the living room, having spread his textbooks, notebooks, and pens everywhere much to Clint's chagrin until his recent exclamation.

"He wants me to explain thermonuclear astrophysics as if I was talking to a five-year-old but it's impossible," he said. Bruce shook his head and returned to his reading. "It's totally unfair! Just because he doesn't understand my thought process, I have to pretend I'm talking to his grandkid just to get a passing grade."

"Well, your essay was all over the place," Bruce admitted. Tony frowned.

"Not helpful," he grumbled, returning to his notebooks in an attempt to rewrite his essay. Bruce just shrugged and returned to his magazine as the front door opened and Natasha stepped inside. Tony groaned loudly and fell backward onto the floor. She raised an eyebrow at him but didn't say anything as she trudged through the door, struggling to get inside with little more grace than a one-legged elephant on a scooter.

She stumbled into the kitchen awkwardly, kicking the front door shut with her foot and nearly toppling over. There were easily a dozen grocery bags hanging from her arms and she could feel them all slowly cutting off her circulation. It had been her turn to go shopping and seeing as she tended to put it off until it absolutely could not wait, she was often left with more bags to carry than normal. She was pretty sure Clint liked to wait until it was her turn to remind her they were out of milk, but she always liked to mention she needed more tampons whenever he went, so she supposed it was only payback.

"Need a hand?" Steve asked, stepping off the last stair and going to help Natasha unload bags from her arms.

"Thanks," Natasha muttered, shaking her arms in hopes of helping them recover sooner. "Pretty sure Clint and Tony wait until it's my turn to put all the heavy things on the list. Why can't they ask for bread and cilantro or something?"

"You could take more than one trip," Steve pointed out. Natasha looked at him as if he'd sprouted an extra head and Steve chuckled. "Or not."

Steve helped her put away the groceries, both of them ignoring Tony occasional whines coming from the living room. Once everything was put away where it needed to be, Natasha wandered upstairs and to her bedroom. She wasn't surprised to find Maria sitting on her bed, earphone in as she typed away on her laptop. She glanced up when Natasha walked in and gave her a small smile. Natasha grabbed her own laptop and sat on her bed to start on an essay due tomorrow morning, tuning out Maria and her loud music which could be heard even though she had earbuds.

Natasha didn't get up from her bed until her essay was done. Maria had left halfway through her three hour work time and hadn't returned upstairs since, but Natasha wasn't worried. Maria tended to leave the house in the evenings to visit her sister just out of town. It wasn't uncommon for someone to spend the night elsewhere, but Maria always managed to be in her bed when Natasha woke up in the morning. How she got into the room without waking Natasha up, she'd probably never know.

A light knock came from her bedroom door and Natasha jumped. When the door wasn't immediately opened seconds later, she knew it was Steve and called for him to come in. Maria and Clint never bothered to knock and Tony generally just barged in right after announcing his presence. Bruce and Thor had the decency to knock then ask politely if they could come in.

"Come in, Steve," she said, setting her laptop aside and turning to face the door. Steve stepped into her room, standing in the doorway and grinning. "What's up?" she asked, patting her bed. Steve shut the door and walked across the room to her bed, sitting down on the spot she'd indicated was his.

"Nothing," he said, laying down and throwing his feet in her lap. She frowned. "Tony got annoying so I decided to seek out the one person who could keep me from punching him in the face."

"For what it's worth," Natasha said, grinning at him and closing her laptop. "I'd love to see you punch him in the face."

"Yeah, but that's not what I meant," Steve chuckled. Natasha rolled her eyes then patted his legs.

"Wanna go out?" she asked casually. Steve almost choked on his own breath, but before he could panic further about what she meant by that, she continued. "Get out of the house and leave Tony in Bruce's care."

"Sounds like a great idea," he replied with a smile. Natasha shoved his legs off her lap and grabbed some shoes. She hadn't changed out of her lazy day clothes even when she'd gone shopping, so she was still in athletic shorts and a hoodie Steve couldn't recall her taking from him.

"Let's go," she grinned, leading the way out of the large apartment and toward the elevator.

* * *

Steve had always admired Natasha and the way she lived. From the way she teased him to her raw existence, she was everything he wanted to be and more. She'd mentioned one time early on in high school that she always felt a little out of place and as if people didn't like her, but Steve had been quick to assure her anyone who thought that wasn't worth her time. The topic had never come up after that and as much as Steve wanted to say she hadn't doubted herself again, he knew that wasn't true. Right now, though, watching her talk her way into a bar they were definitely not allowed to be in, he was pretty sure there was no one on earth who didn't love her. Of course, he could just be biased if the way his stomach fluttered every time she looked at him was anything to go by.

Before he knew it, she was ducking under the bouncer's arm and pulling him into the bar. Steve ducked as the bouncer lunged for him, eyes widening as he realised Natasha was pulling him deep into the bar. The crowd was thick, making it easy to hide in.

"Natasha, we're not supposed to be here," Steve hissed, yelping in surprise as she tugged him around a corner and pressed him against a wall. His mouth clamped shut as she pressed her body against his then slowly peered around the corner. He had definitely not expected to find himself pinned between her and a wall at any point during the night.

"He's coming this way," she said, taking Steve's hand again and tugging him up the stairs. Steve followed without complaint. They raced down the hall then stumbled into an empty room. Before they could relax about narrowly escaping the bouncer, they discovered they weren't actually in an empty room.

"Oh god!" Steve exclaimed, covering his eyes at the couple lying naked together on the bed. Natasha squeaked then shoved Steve out of the room and into the hallway, slamming the door behind her.

"Gotcha!" the bouncer snarled, grabbing Natasha from behind. Steve reached out to grab her back, not liking the way the man's hands were wrapped around her. However, before he could make any movement toward them, Natasha threw her elbow back and nailed the man in the jaw. She pushed his hands away then darted down the stairs. Steve followed close behind her and out of the bar. They didn't stop running until they had turned a corner and were no longer within sight of the bouncer or the bar.

All of a sudden, Natasha stopped running and burst into laughter. Steve stopped beside her, smiling as she laughed to herself and soon joining in.

"Let's never do that again," he said, panting from both the laughter and the sprint down the block. Natasha nodded, smiling wide.

"Yeah," she agreed, standing up straight and slowly stopping her laughter. "Next time, we'll just go through the window."

* * *

By the time Steve and Natasha returned to the apartment late that night, everyone else was asleep. They quietly snuck through the house, tiptoeing over the floor to avoid making loud sounds. Steve helped Natasha silently jump over the two creaky stairs, going ahead of her then grabbing her hand and pulling her up. When they came to Natasha's door, she waved goodbye with a smile then silently slipped inside. Steve stayed in front of her door for a few seconds, smiling to himself as he thought of the short night out they'd had, then slowly made his way to his room.

Clint was fast asleep in his bed, sprawled out and drooling on his pillow. Steve quickly stripped down to his boxers and quietly climbed onto his bed. He'd just pulled the covers over his body and relaxed when Clint shifted on his bed.

"You know," he whispered, surprising Steve. "Next time you two go on a secret date, let us know so we don't spend an hour searching the apartment complex for you."

"It wasn't a date," Steve whispered back, thankful the room was dark and Clint couldn't see the growing blush on his face. He heard Clint scoff.

"Sure," he replied, "And Tony isn't the world's youngest multi-billionaire."


	2. Sleepy Studies

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Finals are coming up so the group decides to study in the living room and hold each other accountable until they're all ready for their tests. No one seems to notice Natasha fall asleep on Steve's shoulder until it's too late and Steve's too paralysed to move. The rest of the team thinks it's the greatest thing to ever happen to mankind while Steve just really wishes they'd shut up.

Steve was pretty sure he was going to die. Not from homework, like most of his peers worried about, but from the explosion that was currently happening in his stomach. What had started out as a simple study night with the entire team of friends had ended with Natasha fast asleep on his shoulder. At some point during the study time, she'd thrown her legs over his lap. That in itself wasn't unusual, but then she'd curled up around his arm and laid her head on his shoulder to continue reading over her notes. Steve had immediately frozen, only relaxing after everyone had stopped staring at them and Natasha hadn't reacted. An hour later, he'd turned to ask her something, only to see her notebook had closed and she was fast asleep.

"Looks like someone's comfortable," Tony said, a teasing smirk on his face. Steve glared at him as he carefully took Natasha's notebook from her hands and set it aside. Natasha moaned softly, curling closer to Steve in her sleep.

"Oh please," Clint scoffed, rolling his eyes across the room. "Like any of us are surprised."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Steve demanded quietly, trying not to wake up Natasha. Maria and Bruce simultaneously raised an eyebrow at him.

"You two are practically dating," Maria told him. Steve's eyebrows shot up and his eyes widened. Maria laughed quietly. "You're always together; like always. She wears your clothes half the time."

"So? She forgets to bring sweaters and I always overdress," Steve defended. The whole group rolled their eyes at the same time, making Steve wonder if they'd practiced it at some point.

"Why don't you just ask her out already?" Tony groaned, rolling onto his back and looking at Steve upside down from the ground.

"It would make things awkward," Steve answered, rubbing the back of his neck with his free hand. "What if she says no?"

"She won't say no," Maria immediately assured him. She leaned forward from the recliner she was sitting on and put her hand on his knee. "If you ask her out and she says no, I'll pay for you to start a new life in China."

"Not helpful," Steve mumbled. Maria shrugged and leaned back in her seat, picking her notebook back up.

"I'm just saying, she isn't going to say no," she said. The group went back to their individual studying, but Steve couldn't focus. He glanced at Natasha, not able to tear his eyes away from her. When Thor and Clint got a little too loud and she began to stir, Steve decided just to take her up to her room.

He twisted around and gently lifted her off the couch. Her eyes fluttered open and the room went silent. Natasha either didn't notice they weren't alone or didn't care as she snuggled closer to Steve and closed her eyes again. Steve glared at each of his friends as he carefully walked through the living room with Natasha in his arms.

The walk up the stairs and into her room was quiet as he avoided the squeaky steps and made sure to open her door carefully. When he gently laid her on her bed, she opened her eyes sleepily and reached for his hand, keeping him from leaving unnoticed. Steve gently pulled her hand off of him and leaned down to press a soft kiss to her forehead.

"Good night, Nat," he whispered. She smiled and snuggled into her covers, releasing his hand as she drifted back off to sleep. Steve smiled down at her then slipped out of her room to return to the living room. He was met by a multitude of smirks and raised eyebrows, all of which he ignored as he sat back down and picked up his notebook. They were all delusional if they thought he and Natasha could ever work out. He'd just have to take what he could get when he got it.


	3. Enemies At First Sight

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's one of the rare days Steve gets out of classes to join Natasha for a study period in the library and he's happy to see her midday. However, someone else in the library is just as eager to see Natasha and Steve's pretty sure he's not good news.

When the bell rings, signaling the end of Steve's ancient history class, he can hardly gather his things up fast enough. Normally he'd be heading to his English class next, but they'd just had a major test and Professor Patterson had given them the next two class days off. This meant he'd have the same free period as Natasha for once and he was eager to meet up with her in the library. The one class they shared, French II, was preparing for an exam in a week and they were going to study together every chance they could. Natasha absolutely refused to do poorly on this test and while Steve wanted to do well too, he knew the studying excuse provided him with an actual reason to spend extra time together.

Steve walked into the library and scanned the area for Natasha. It didn't take him long to find her sitting in the back corner table, backpack propped against her chair and notebooks spread out according to class. He frowned when he saw another boy standing over her, obviously trying to get her attention but failing. Even from a distance, Steve could see she was uncomfortable by the way she was leaning away from him and focusing hard on her books. He started toward her, eyeing the boy in hopes of catching his attention and scaring him off. Steve wasn't stupid; he knew he was a big guy and often intimated people, but he wasn't one to use his strength violently. He also wasn't above using it to his advantage when it came down to creeps like the one leaning over Natasha.

Natasha held her pencil tightly, trying to ignoring Brock Rumlow and study, but struggling to when he kept getting closer than she wanted him to. She could feel his body heat even as she pushed herself as far away from him as she could. He never seemed to get the hint no matter how many times she snapped at him or told him to get lost. Under Maria's suggestion, she was now ignoring him. Unfortunately, that didn't seem to be helping.

"Come on," he said, brushing Natasha's hair over her shoulder. She tensed and shifted away from him again. "Give me a shot, sweetheart."

"I don't think she's interested," Steve said, dropping his backpack beside Natasha and staring at the boy. Natasha's head snapped up at the sound of Steve's voice and he could see her visibly relax. He stepped closer to her, dropping a hand to her shoulder comfortingly and daring the boy to keep bothering her.

"Who are you?" he demanded. He didn't step back, but he was no longer looming over Natasha like he had been doing earlier.

"Clearly someone she's comfortable around, unlike you," Steve replied. The guy frowned and looked down at Natasha who was pressed against Steve. Even if the guy had backed away, she was still leaning away from him and was therefore pressed against Steve who stood behind her.

"Like you have a chance with her," the guy scoffed. Steve narrowed his eyes at him but the guy didn't seem intimidated in the slightest.

"Get lost, Rumlow," Natasha muttered. The guy, Rumlow, frowned at her then looked up at Steve. Steve squeezed Natasha's shoulder in reassurance as Rumlow glared at them both before walking away. He waited until Rumlow had left the library before taking the seat beside Natasha and turning her chair to face him.

"Who was that?" he asked, concerned he'd never heard about the guy before. He could tell this wasn't the first time he'd bothered Natasha as he knew she wasn't one to just ignore someone who was bothering her. Clearly, it had been going on for a while if she'd resigned to not acknowledging his presence.

"Brock Rumlow," Natasha said, shifting in her seat and reaching for a notebook. "He has this period free and usually comes by to coerce me into dating him."

Steve frowned. Okay, so he was right in thinking this was a normal occurrence. That didn't help put his mind at ease, however.

"Why don't you go somewhere else?" he suggested. Natasha shrugged.

"I tried that," she told him, tapping her pencil against the table uncomfortably. "He just hunts me down and is a bigger pain. At least in the library, there are people around and he can't do much more than say stuff."

"Has he done more than that before?" Steve asked in horror. A couple of people looked their way and Natasha turned red, hiding her face behind her hand to avoid their stares. Steve immediately felt bad at drawing the attention of strangers who were now going to listen in on their conversation, but he had never been very good at hiding his emotions.

"No," Natasha whispered, not looking up at him. "I mean, he's grabbed my arm to get my attention, but other than that he just says things."

"But clearly you're worried he'll try more if you don't want to leave the library," Steve said. Natasha didn't respond. Steve sighed and reached for her hand. "Hey," he said softly, getting her attention. "I'm sorry if I'm making you uncomfortable, but you shouldn't have to endure him every day."

"It's not every day," Natasha objected quietly. "Maria has this period free on Tuesdays and Thursday so she comes by and he leaves me alone. The other days I can handle it."

"You don't have to handle it, Nat," Steve told her, rubbing the back of her hand with his thumb. "You can tell the librarian and get her to stop him."

Natasha raised an eyebrow and nodded at the librarian. She was a small, elderly lady who clearly wouldn't be able to get Brock Rumlow to stop harassing Natasha. Steve sighed and turned back to Natasha.

"Well, I'll be here this week and after that maybe we can see if there's someone else you can sit with to scare him off," Steve said. Natasha nodded and smiled at him tightly. Without thinking, Steve leaned forward and kissed her cheek. "Enough about Rumlow," he said, trying to prevent things from getting awkward afterward. "We're here to study French, so let's get to work."

"Aye, aye, Captain," Natasha saluted, grinning as she pulled her hand from his and reached for her French notebook.


	4. A One Night Disaster

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Natasha and Maria take a girl's night with Tony's new girlfriend Pepper and things go worse than you'd expect.

Steve was sitting in the living room, reading George Orwell's book _1984_ , waiting for Natasha and Maria to get back when his phone rang. All the others had gone to bed, but Steve wanted to wait up and make sure they made it back safely. When he heard his phone ringing at midnight, he knew something was wrong. Seeing Natasha's caller ID on his phone caused him to panic immediately and not because he was excited to talk to her. She would only be calling if something had gone horribly wrong.

"Nat? What's wrong?" he asked, already halfway to the door as he slipped on some flip flops. "Where are you?"

"I-I don't know," she replied. He heard her mumble something to Maria and Pepper before returning to him. "We were at this club and then these guys offered to take us to a secret club they could get us into, but it all went wrong and I'm pretty sure we ended up in some ghost town."

"What? Send me your location," he demanded, slamming the door behind him and not caring if he woke up the others. She was quiet for a moment then his phone went off. He tapped on the location she'd sent him and Google Maps opened with the fastest route to her. "You're in Salem?" he exclaimed.

"Oh, that explains why there's a haunted tour across the street," Natasha muttered casually. Steve sucked in a breath as he climbed into his car and started in her direction.

"How about you tell me exactly what happened?" Steve suggested, putting his phone on speaker so he could drive and listen to her.

* * *

_Natasha, Pepper, and Maria walked into the newest club in town, immediately overwhelmed by the flashing lights and loud music. Maria grinned and pulled both of them further into the club and over to the bar. Pepper didn't have a chance to say anything before Maria had ordered for both of them._

_"How'd you know what I liked?" Pepper asked. She had talked with Maria and Natasha briefly before, but this was really the first time they'd hung out._

_"Tony talks a lot," Maria shrugged. The bartender handed them their drinks and Maria thanked him as she passed out the drinks. They talked at a small table as they sipped at their drinks, telling Pepper stories about Tony in high school and asking about her. By the time they'd finished their drinks, Pepper felt like she'd made two new best friends. One of which seemed very intent on the idea of dancing with strangers, something Pepper wasn't completely comfortable with._

_"We won't tell Tony," Natasha promised, pulling her onto the dance floor. "You don't even have to dance with someone, just dance with us!"_

_"Fine," Pepper agreed. She took cues from Natasha who was obviously much more talented at dancing than Pepper could have ever guessed. Natasha looked completely comfortable, arms above her head as she moved on the dance floor. Maria looked much less professional, though just as comfortable leaning against Natasha and dancing with her. Pepper laughed when Natasha hip-checked Maria and she stumbled._

_"Oh, you wanna play?" Maria teased, bumping Natasha back. They both laughed then pulled Pepper over to dance with them._

_It was the third song they were dancing to when two guys came up and joined them. At first, they were just dancing nearby, then one was with Natasha and the other quickly moved to join Maria. Maria raised an eyebrow at him but didn't push him off. He wasn't handsy and she could take him if he was, so she let him enjoy herself. One song later and they headed back to their table for a break. The two guys followed and they started talking._

_"No way!" Pepper exclaimed. One of them knew Tony. "Tony's my boyfriend."_

_"Really? I bet that's interesting," Guy One mused. Pepper snorted and nodded in agreement. It could be pretty interesting, that's for sure. "Did he ever tell you about this secret bar he found one night?"_

_"No," Pepper frowned. Guy One and Guy Two lit up, telling the girls all about this secret bar that was run by Harvard students._

_"Technically, only Harvard kids are allowed in, but if you can get the password, they'll let you in," Guy Two said. The place sounded like a riot based on what Guy One and Two had said._

_"My brother goes to Harvard," Guy One told them casually. "He could give me the password if I asked. You girls want to check it out?"_

_"Hell yeah!" Maria exclaimed. Guy One grinned and pulled out his phone, sending off a quick text. "Where's it at?"_

_"It's a way out of town," Guy Two said. The Harvard students wanted to make sure it wasn't easy for faculty to find, so it was a few towns over. "Even if it was a long drive, the place is definitely worth the trouble."_

_"Alright, ladies," Guy One announced, proudly holding up his phone. "I've got the password. Let's hit the road!"_

* * *

"So you just got in their car?" Steve asked skeptically. Natasha wasn't usually one to go along with things if she didn't know the people involved.

"To be fair, we're all pretty tipsy and might be a little drugged," Natasha replied. Steve sucked in a breath. Clearly, she had been drugged if she was talking about it so casually.

"Do you know what they drugged you with?"

"Dunno," Natasha mumbled. He heard a shuffling and a thud. A few seconds later, Natasha came back on the line. "Sorry, dropped the phone. I think they drugged us with vodka."

"They bought you drinks?" Steve groaned. This was getting worse and worse as she continued to tell him what happened. At this rate, he wasn't too sure he wanted her to continue.

"Yeah! Real nice guys," Natasha told him. Steve took a deep breath and told her to continue. "Alright. So we got in the backseat and these guys got in the front."

* * *

_About fifteen minutes into the drive, Natasha began to realise something was wrong. Guy One and Guy Two were still talking excitedly about this secret bar, but she was struggling to think straight. Her mind felt fuzzy even though she knew she hadn't had enough to drink to be drunk. She'd only had the vodka Maria had gotten her and a few sips of that drink the two guys had bought her. It was too sweet and tasted funny to her, so she hadn't finished it. Maria and Pepper, on the other hand, seemed fine talking to the guys._

_"Hey, where are we going?" Natasha asked. They were now thirty minutes into the drive and Maria and Pepper were acting funny. She'd seen Maria drunk and this wasn't drunk her. Of course, she'd never been around drunk Pepper so she couldn't be sure about her, but everything about this situation felt off._

_"Salem," Guy One answered. Natasha frowned._

_"Is that where the bar is?" Maria asked. Guy One glanced at Guy Two then back at the three girls._

_"About the bar," Guy One said, grinning back at them. "It doesn't exist."_

_"Where are we going then?" Pepper asked. Natasha's eyes widened and she felt her heart begin to race. Something was very, very wrong and she hadn't figured it out until they were nearly forty-five minutes away from the apartment and any help._

_"We're going to have some fun together at my house," Guy Two said from the driver's seat. That was enough for Natasha. She fought through the dizziness in her head and lunged for the front of the car. She pulled the emergency brake before anyone could process her movement. She nearly flew through the window at the sudden stop, toppling into the front seats and landing in Guy One's lap. Her eyes widened as he groaned. She grabbed his head and slammed it into the window, shoving him hard enough to shatter the window and knock Guy One out cold._

_"Nat, stop," Maria slurred, reaching forward weakly to stop her. Natasha pushed her into the backseat, pausing as her head spun and her vision blurred for a moment. She was honestly a little surprised Maria and Pepper were still awake. Whatever drug they'd put in their drinks was pretty strong if only two sips were enough to make Natasha dizzy and slightly out of it._

_"Not cool, sweetheart," Guy Two growled. He climbed out of the crowd and ran around the car to the side Natasha was on. He pulled open the door, grabbing her roughly and throwing her on the ground. Natasha's head swam at the abrupt movement and she blinked to get her bearing. Guy Two was looming over her, snarling something she couldn't understand. Before she could try and get to her feet, Guy Two kicked her harshly. She heard Maria and Pepper scream from inside the car and a few seconds later, they were tumbling out and onto the ground._

_"Get away!" Maria said, swaying slightly as she stood up. Guy Two sneered at them and walked away from Natasha, moving towards Maria and Pepper. Natasha jumped to her feet despite the sharp pain that shot through her abdomen and jumped on Guy Two's back. He thrashed, trying to throw her off, but she refused to let go. Maria kicked his feet out from under him, falling to the ground herself as she lost her balance. Pepper kicked Guy Two, narrowly missing Natasha's face as she wrapped her arms around his neck tightly._

_"Stupid... bitch..." he growled, tugging on Natasha's arms. She lost her grip and he threw her backward. She skidded across the gravel on the side of the road, cutting her arms on the rocks. She looked up to see Pepper trying to kick Guy Two again and lunged back at him when he tried to jump her. Guy Two stumbled forward, hitting the car. Natasha grabbed his head roughly and slammed his head into the top of the car repeatedly until he slumped forward. He collapsed to the ground unconsciously, Natasha still on his back breathing heavily. When she looked up at Maria and Pepper, they all let out breaths they didn't know they'd been holding and looked around._

_"I think we're lost," Pepper mumbled. There were only a few buildings nearby but they all looked closed and maybe a little haunted._

_"I think we should call for help," Maria suggested, slumping against the car and sitting on the ground. Pepper joined her and they both watched as Natasha pulled her phone out and tapped on Steve's contact._

* * *

Steve couldn't be sure if he was happy to hear they'd been able to defend themselves or a little unsettled that Natasha had been so quick to attack. He supposed he shouldn't be too surprised, he knew she'd taken martial arts as a little girl, stopping when she turned seven to continue ballet instead. The drugs may have hindered her some, but clearly she wasn't completely helpless if she'd been strong enough to smash a guy's head through a window.

"Well, I'm about fifteen minutes away," Steve told her, checking his GPS and speeding even more than he already was. "Are the two guys still unconscious?"

"Yeah," Natasha answered, "I had to knock them out again two more times, but they're out right now."

"Good," Steve said. According to her, Maria and Pepper were fast asleep on the ground, probably a side effect of the drug they'd been given. "Don't worry, Nat, I'll be there soon."

"I know," she replied, sounding a little hesitant. "Just, maybe don't hang up? There's literally no one else around and there's no way there's not a ghost in the house across the street."

"Alright," Steve agreed. He wasn't going to hang up anyway. "Tell me about Pepper."

Natasha told him everything Pepper had told her and Maria, about her family, her major, and her childhood. By the time she'd finished, Steve was pulling up behind the car and turning off his headlights. She hung up only after he stepped out of the car and nearly dropped her phone in relief. He rushed to her side and gathered her in his arms, being careful as he remembered her telling him she'd been kicked in the stomach a couple of times. He could see the scrapes on her arms from the gravel and frowned. She had clearly picked out the bigger rocks while talking to him as the scrapes looked pretty clean.

"Thank you for coming," Natasha said, shaking slightly in his arms. Steve looked down at her just as he felt something warm soak his shirt.

"Hey, hey," he said softly, cupping her face gently. "I'll always come for you. You can always count on me, alright?" Natasha let out a soft cry as she nodded and Steve hugged her tightly. They stayed standing there until Natasha had calmed down a little. Once he was sure she would be okay for a little while, he walked her to the car and helped her fasten her seatbelt. He returned for Maria then Pepper, carrying them both to his car and setting them in the backseat, fastening their seatbelts as well.

As badly as Steve wanted to punch both of the guys for trying to attack the girls, they were both still unconscious and he knew it wouldn't do anything. He sighed and climbed into the driver's seat. He turned on the car and silently pulled off the side of the road. Natasha grabbed his hand a few seconds into the drive and pulled it into her lap. He glanced at her, but she was staring down at their hands numbly. A few minutes later, she was asleep too and Steve was left to his own thoughts.

Since he didn't know where Pepper lived or if she was in the dorm at her own school, he took her back to their apartment. When he was five minutes away, he called Tony. It was nearly two in the morning, but Tony answered immediately.

"Where are you? What happened?" he demanded. When Steve didn't respond immediately, Tony said, "You woke us up with your door slamming and we've all been worried sick. Did someone die?"

"No, thank god," Steve breathed, trying not to think about what he would have done if he'd arrived to find Natasha's dead body on the side of the road.

"Then what happened?" Tony asked. Steve didn't feel like recounting the story for him, Pepper could do that herself if she remembered it at all. If not, then maybe he'd briefly explain what Natasha had told him.

"The girls ran into some trouble," he sighed. That inspired Tony to erupt into another volcano of questions, but Steve waited until he was finished to continue. "I have all of them, they're all okay, but they're fast asleep and I can't carry all three upstairs at once."

"We'll come," Tony immediately volunteered. He heard someone else talking in the background then Tony said, "Thor and I can come down. Bruce is still asleep and Clint is weak."

"Thank you," Steve said, parking in his usual spot under the apartment complex. As the car turned off and he hung up, Natasha woke up suddenly. "Hey, it's just me, Nat," Steve said, raising his hands in surrender as she turned to him with wide eyes.

"Where are we?" she asked in a panic, looking around the parking garage.

"We're back at the apartment," Steve answered, unbuckling his seatbelt. "Tony and Thor are coming down to get Maria and Pepper. You're all okay now."

"Yeah," she whispered, nodding to herself. As if speaking their names had brought them running, Thor and Tony walked through the door to the far right and came jogging toward the car. Steve got out first, telling Tony which side Pepper was on. Thor grabbed Maria and Tony grabbed Pepper while Steve stood beside Natasha, a comforting hand on her arm.

"You okay, Red?" Tony asked softly, nodding at Natasha. She nodded, letting Steve wrap an arm around her shoulders. "You look a little shaken up."

"I'm okay," she muttered, loosely draping an arm around Steve's waist. Tony nodded, not dropping his concerned look. He followed Thor to the elevator, Steve and Natasha falling last in line.

The ride up to their floor and the walk to the apartment were both silent. When they stepped into the apartment, Clint greeted them immediately. He stayed quiet as Thor and Tony walked by him and went upstairs to lay Maria and Pepper in bed. Thor had offered his room for Pepper so that's where Tony took her.

"Tasha," Clint murmured, looking at her as she walked in beside Steve. "What happened?"

"Bad club," she muttered, not letting go of Steve even though it was Clint in front of her. He glanced at the scrapes on her arm and looked up at Steve.

"Let's get you cleaned up," he said quietly, nodding at Clint to let him know he'd explain later. Clint nodded back, watching as Steve and Natasha walked upstairs and into the bathroom to wash the remaining gravel from the scrapes and cover them up.

"I'm sorry for waking you up," Natasha said, rubbing her newly bandaged arms as Steve washed his hands.

"I was awake," he told her. She still apologised, saying she didn't mean to bother him. "Nat, I'm glad you did. If you hadn't, I probably would have called in a few hours to check on you. Never feel bad about calling me when you need to."

Natasha nodded and Steve walked her to her room. She climbed into bed, glancing at Maria who was snoring softly from her own bed. Steve waited in the doorway until Natasha was settled in under her covers. He smiled at her and she smiled back softly.

"Good night, Nat," he whispered, slowly closing the door behind him.

"Good night," she murmured back. He latched the door then walked back to his room, shutting off the hall lights on his way. He made a mental note to stop by the front office tomorrow morning and tell them the girls were out sick for the day.


	5. Secrets Kill Even Champions

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Natasha's acting strange but Steve isn't sure why. She seemed fine before classes but now, driving home with Maria in the backseat, she's sitting perfectly still and silent. She also seems to be keeping something from him, something that's never happened before.

The first thing that indicated to Steve that something was wrong with Natasha was the way she walked a little further away from him than usual. It wasn't horribly noticeable, but he was used to feeling her arm brush against his every now and then as they walked and there was definitely none of that happening. The second thing that gave it away was how she didn't say anything from the moment he met her at the flagpole to the moment the three of them—Steve, Natasha, and Maria—arrived back at the apartment.

"I'll be upstairs," she muttered before disappearing. Steve glanced at Maria but she shook her head and shrugged, just as clueless as he was.

"Maybe there was a surprise test in some class," Maria suggested. Steve sighed, but he didn't have any better idea. Usually, when it came to pop quizzes, though, Natasha complained from the college all the way to the apartment about the unfairness of it. However, Maria seemed to think it was a valid excuse, so he didn't push it. Maybe it was just a really bad quiz.

Within the next two hours, everyone else had returned to the apartment from their various schools. Clint went to a community college nearby while Tony and Bruce went to some Ivy league Steve couldn't remember. He tended to tune out whenever Tony tried to brag and Bruce got embarrassed whenever someone asked him where he went. Thor went to some tech school near Clint, meaning they often carpooled together. Steve, Maria, and Natasha went to a university only five minutes away. Having everyone live in the same apartment made it easy for them to stay friends even while all going to different universities, something Steve was incredibly grateful for.

"I'm headed out with Pep," Tony announced five minutes after arriving at the apartment. "Don't expect me back." He wiggled his eyebrows and the group groaned from their various locations around the apartment.

"We don't need to hear about every time you and Pepper have sex," Clint told him. Tony smirked as he walked out of the apartment. A minute later, Maria came hopping down the stairs, dressed nicer than usual. Clint whistled and Maria glared at him. "Where are you headed?" he asked, leaning against the counter.

"Out," she answered vaguely. Clint frowned and she grinned cheekily before grabbing her keys and leaving the apartment as well. Bruce and Thor left an hour later to join Thor's new friend and study. Even though Bruce went to a different school, he was going along to help them study. He had always been excellent when it came to science but Thor lacked in that category, so he made a good tutor.

"Looks like it's just you and me, Steve," Clint said, settling down on the couch. He tried glancing at Steve's sketchbook, but he pulled it out of sight. "Hey, where's Natasha? You didn't leave her at school, did you?"

"Nah," Steve replied, looking at the drawing he was currently going of her. "She's napping, I think. Tough day."

"Ah," Clint said. Steve finished up his drawing then nodded at Clint as he left the living room. "You leaving too?"

"We'll see," he said vaguely. Clint rolled his eyes as Steve walked up the stairs and returned his sketchbook to his room.

He paused as he passed Maria and Natasha's room. He took a step forward and knocked on Natasha's door. She didn't respond and he frowned. He tried again. This time, he heard shuffling on the other side of the door, but there was still no response.

"Nat, I know you're in there," he said softly. More shuffling, but the door didn't open. "Please open the door. I just want to make sure you're okay."

"I'm fine," she replied. He heard her sniffle and frowned.

"I'm coming in anyway," he told her, slowly opening the door. He shut it behind him then looked up to see Natasha cross-legged on her bed, blankets wrapped tightly around her. Her eyes were red and puffy and she sniffled again, rubbing her nose with her blanket.

"I'm sick," she lied. Steve raised an eyebrow. He wouldn't have believed that even if he hadn't already had his doubts.

"Sure," he played along. He walked over to her bed, sitting down beside her. She tensed and he became even more confused. "Natasha, what's going on?"

"It's not important," she said, slowly relaxing beside him. He offered her his hand, palm up, but she didn't take it like she normally did when she was upset. Instead, she shifted away slightly and brought one of her knees up to block him from getting closer.

"Hey, whoa," Steve exclaimed quietly, raising both hands above his head. "I'm not gonna hurt you, you know that." He looked at her, a hurt expression on his face, and she nodded as tears welled up in her eyes.

"I know," she whimpered, burying her face in her blanket. Steve resisted the urge to wrap his arm around her, thinking about how she'd shied away from his open hand. She shook slightly as she took a shaky breath and wiped at her face before looking back up at him.

"Nat, what happened?" Steve asked, more concerned than he'd been before.

He kept his hands tucked away as she broke down again. It took everything in him not to wrap himself around her protectively, trying not to upset her even further. Part way through her breakdown, she twisted around and buried her face in Steve's chest. He took that as an open invitation to hug her and immediately wrapped his arms around her. She melted into his touch and shook even harder as she cried. He ran his fingers through her hair soothingly and kissed her head every now and again, waiting for her to calm down. It took a while, but eventually, she was no longer crying. She didn't pull away, staying tucked in his arms and pressed close against his chest.

"I didn't go to the library today," she said quietly, her voice shaking as she spoke. At first, Steve was confused, then she continued on to say, "I didn't want to deal with Rumlow, but he followed me behind the main building and cornered me." Steve could have sworn his heart stopped at that moment. He knew Rumlow had been bothering Natasha throughout the school year and he hated being reminded of it, but clearly, things had escalated if she was now in tears talking about it.

"Oh, Nat," he breathed, hugging her a little tighter as she continued.

"I told him to leave me alone, but he didn't listen," she said. She paused as she took a deep breath. "I think he was on drugs or something because he's not usually so aggressive, but he didn't seem to like me telling him off." Her grip around him tightened as she tensed. "He grabbed me; pushed me against the wall and bit my neck. I tried to push him away, but he was definitely on something because he was stronger than I thought. He reached..." she struggled to continue. "He grabbed my... He..."

"It's okay," he assured her, peppering her head with light kisses. "Did you go to the hospital? I can take you now if you--"

"No, he didn't..." She took a shaky breath, "He didn't get that far."

Steve was relieved to hear Rumlow hadn't been able to get too far. He was already planning on making the guy's life a living hell; if Rumlow had gone all the way, Steve was pretty sure he would have just sent him straight to hell. Nevertheless, Natasha was clearly shaken and right now the only thing he could do was comfort her.

"Some guys came around the corner before he could," Natasha explained quietly, relaxing just a little. "They scared him off and made sure I was alright."

"I'll have to personally thank them," Steve mumbled. Natasha nodded against his chest then slowly sat up. She stayed pressed against his side, her legs folded over on his lap as she curled against him. The room was silent aside from Natasha's occasional sniffles.

It wasn't until a few more minutes had gone by that Steve remembered Natasha saying Rumlow had bit her neck. He frowned to himself, wondering if it was a bad idea to bring it up now. However, if he'd managed to bite hard enough and cause her to bleed, they should probably clean it out and cover it up. Even if it hadn't bled, it was almost a given it had left a mark Natasha would not want to others to see.

"Nat?" Steve asked softly, brushing her hair over her shoulder. She hummed. "You said Rumlow bit you." She immediately tensed and Steve wanted to apologise, but he didn't. "I know you don't want to think about it, but we should probably make sure he didn't cause you to bleed."

"I don't want the others..." she trailed off, but Steve knew what she meant. He nodded and kissed her head.

"I'll go get the first aid kit," he said. She hesitantly let him go and wrapped more blankets around herself after he'd climbed off her bed. He made sure to shut her door softly and make his way downstairs to their first aid supplies without drawing Clint's attention. Luckily for him, Clint had headphones on and was playing the PlayStation with some online friends of his, so Steve was able to get everything he needed without being noticed.

When he returned back to Natasha's room, he walked over to the edge of her bed and gently brushed her hair back. Sure enough, a large bruise shaped like a bite covered the right side of her neck. There were two small punctures on either side of the bite that Steve carefully cleaned with an alcohol wipe, then he covered the whole thing with a bandaid.

"Now you can come up with whatever story you want," he murmured, brushing the bandaid smooth over her neck then gathering up the trash. "Say you got a nasty spider bite and are gonna be the next Spider-Man."

Natasha didn't laugh, but she did smile which was enough for Steve. He kissed her temple before leaving the room to throw away the trash where no one else would bother looking. When he returned to Natasha's room to see if she wanted him to stick around, she immediately reached out and waved for him to join her on the bed. He did as he was told and not even a second after he'd settled down, Natasha was back in his arms and he was surrounded by blankets.

"Better?" he asked, looking down at her before slowly wrapping his arms around her. She nodded and he relaxed. "Alright."

"Thank you," she muttered into his shirt.

"Anytime," he replied, smoothing a hand over her hair and looking down at her warmly.


	6. Take Me Away From the Ball-Game

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Somehow, Steve convinces Natasha to join him and his new friend Sam at a Mets game. Unfortunately, the weather turns against them and what was supposed to be a fun spring activity turns into a muddy, wet trip.

"Come on, Nat," Steve groaned, standing in her doorway. Maria was working on her laptop, cross-legged on her bed and completely ignoring Steve's plea for her to help Natasha hurry up. If Natasha wasn't ready in the next two minutes, they were going to be very, very late.

"I can't find my rain jacket!" Natasha exclaimed, poking her head out of her closet to frown at him. "It's supposed to storm and I don't want to drown."

"You'll be fine," Steve promised, checking his watch again. "It's not going to rain."

"What if it does?" Natasha asked, giving up her search and stepping out of her room. She waved to Maria as she shut the door and followed Steve downstairs.

"Then I'll buy you a hot chocolate," Steve replied, grabbing his wallet and keys off the counter. "Now let's go."

"I'm going, I'm going," she muttered. Steve followed her out of the apartment, waving at Clint and Thor in the living room and slamming the door behind him. They were only five minutes late. It would be fine.

* * *

When the sun disappeared two minutes into their car ride and clouds started to gather, Natasha had turned to frown at Steve. He'd brushed it off and told her they were just clouds. They were still just clouds as they picked Sam up from the dormitory and drove to the Red Sox's stadium. Having the Mets travel to Boston for an early spring game was a treat, so even when Natasha grumbled about the sprinkle of rain beginning as they got out of the car, Steve assured her they would be fine.

"I'm gonna get a corn dog," Sam said shortly after they'd found their seats. "Either of you want anything?"

"I think we're good for now," Steve replied. Sam nodded and disappeared into the crowd. "You alright?"

"Fine," Natasha said, curling into herself on her seat. The sprinkle of rain had stopped, but the clouds overhead kept them cold, leaving Natasha to create her own warmth or suffer. "Just cold."

"At least it's not--"

"Don't!" Natasha interrupted, elbowing him as he wrapped his arms around her. "If you jinx it, you own me a month's worth of hot chocolate."

"Alright, I won't jinx it," Steve chuckled, pulling Natasha against his chest. She melted into him, relishing in his warmth as he wrapped his jacket around her too. Sam returned a couple minutes later with two corn dogs and a medium chili cheese fry. He was holding three forks as he handed the chili cheese fries to Steve with a smirk.

"Figured you would use the warmth," he said, looking at Natasha. She smiled gratefully and took a fork, not hesitating to stab some fries and shove them in her mouth. Steve rolled his eyes at her but thanked Sam and ate some fries himself. It wouldn't be long before the game started, but until then, he would eat those chili cheese fries in peace.

* * *

"This is your fault," Natasha grumbled, shaking with every step she took. She was covered in both Steve and Sam's jackets, but it wasn't doing anything to keep her from shaking. Steve and Sam were just as soaked on either side of her, shaking almost as bad.

"I'm sorry the clouds decided to rain on us," Steve muttered. He numbly unlocked their apartment and led the way through the living room. Tony, Pepper, and Clint looked up and watched as they walked in miserable silence up the stairs to Steve's room. Natasha ducked into her own room to change while Steve let Sam borrow some of his clothes.

A knock came to Steve's door just as he pulled a shirt over his head. The door opened just enough for Natasha to poke her head through and Steve smiled. He waved her in, unsurprised to see her wearing leggings and an over-sized shirt Steve was pretty sure used to be his. The long sleeves covered her hands and the bottom hem came mid-thigh on her.

"Where's Sam?" she asked, flopping down on his bed and grabbing his pillow.

"Changing down the hall," Steve answered, gesturing to the door. Natasha nodded, pulling his blankets over her and burrowing into his bed. "Still cold?" he asked, fighting the smile on his face.

"I'm always cold," she muttered, hugging his pillow and inhaling deeply. The fact that it smelled like Steve was a plus, but it really was fluffy and nice to cuddle.

"Are you warm now?" Steve asked, sitting on the bed beside her. She nodded into his pillow and closed her eyes. Steve smiled and ran his hand over her damp hair. She smiled to herself and threw her arm over his waist. Steve froze for only a second before relaxing again and continuing to run his hands through her hair.

The door opened and Sam walked in, pausing when he saw Steve and Natasha. Steve just nodded at him and Sam closed the door behind him. He dropped his wet clothes on the floor beside Steve's then looked back at them.

"So, what do we do now?" Sam asked. Natasha mumbled something he couldn't understand but Steve seemed to know what she meant.

"Sure," he replied. He looked back up at Sam and raised an eyebrow. "Movie?"

"Which movie?" Sam asked. Steve glanced back down at Natasha who mumbled again. "Yeah, I'm not lover boy over here. I don't know what you just said."

"Then it'll be a surprise," Steve grinned, standing up. He pulled Natasha off his bed and she grumbled until he pulled one of his sweaters over her head. He reached through the armholes and pulled her arms through then pulled her all the way to her feet.

"But the rain," she groaned. Sam watched in amusement as Steve just chuckled and kissed her forehead.

"I'll let you eat my popcorn and choose the drink," he promised. She immediately lit up and grabbed Steve's hand. She pulled him through the door, only pausing to tell Sam to follow.


	7. Co-Chaperoning is Almost Like a Date

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> When Sam asks Maria on a date, he also asks Steve to accompany and make sure things aren't awkward. Maria asks the same of Natasha and what was supposed to be a simple night out turns into co-chaperoning (read: a double date).

Natasha could hear Maria mumbling to herself as she curled her hair in front of their vanity mirror. She'd been getting ready for the past two hours whereas Natasha had walked into their room almost an hour ago and pulled on the first dress she saw. To be fair, Maria was getting ready for her first date with Sam Wilson, a guy she'd been crushing on for months now. Natasha was simply going along to make sure things weren't too awkward. Of course, Sam had invited Steve for the same reason, but Natasha still wasn't too worried. If all went well, she and Steve would just have a nice night out with their friends. If it went poorly, then Natasha wouldn't have to fix everything on her own.

"It's going to be fine, Maria," Natasha said for the umpteenth time, pulling her hair back into a high messy bun. Sam had told Steve who had told her that they were going to a casual diner somewhere in Boston. There was no need to dress super fancy and since Natasha had put on a rather nice dress, she felt like she could get away with wearing a jean jacket and a messy bun with it. Maria, on the other hand, was in a new pair of jeans, one of Natasha's nice leather jackets, a blouse, and a new pair of heels.

"Easy for you to say," Maria grumbled, finishing her last curl and unplugging her curling wand. "You're just along to make sure I don't make a fool of myself."

"You'll be fine," Natasha repeated, tugging on some sandals. "If anything, you'll forget I'm even there and have a blast."

"Don't take this the wrong way," Maria said, "But that would be the best possible way tonight could go."

"Don't worry," Natasha said, putting her hands on Maria's shoulders. "You're going to have the best night ever."

A knock came to their door and Natasha told Steve to come in. He opened the door, stepping in with a grin. Maria smiled back at him, grabbing her purse as Natasha stepped out of the room with Steve. Once everyone was ready, they piled into Steve's car and drove to meet Sam at the restaurant.

"Has Sam texted anything?" Maria asked from the backseat. Natasha checked Steve's phone and smiled.

"Yep," she answered, typing in Steve's password and reading Sam's text aloud. "Waiting inside. Text me when you get here."

"He's been a mess too, Maria," Steve told her, casting a sly grin at Natasha. Maria rolled her eyes.

"Please, I'm not worried," she replied. Natasha snorted and Maria glared at her.

"That's not what I've been hearing," Steve said casually. Maria leaned forward to smack Natasha who just laughed and jumped out of the way.

"You two should really stop talking to each other," Maria grumbled, slumping back in her seat.

* * *

It was obvious Sam and Maria had both been looking forward to this night for a while. As soon as they'd walked inside, Sam had greeted Maria with a kiss on the cheek and walked with her to the table the hostess had saved for them. Steve and Natasha were in a booth behind them, close enough to know if anything went wrong, but far enough away they wouldn't be intruding. After the first five minutes, Natasha and Steve stopped worrying about their friends and turned their attention to each other.

"I think they could last," Steve said, glancing at Sam and Maria once again. Natasha grinned as she looked at the friends, nodding in agreement. The two hadn't known each other for that long, but they got along well and seemed to like the other's presence.

"Watch: next year, they'll move in together and we'll have to beg them to come visit," Natasha mused. Steve snorted as he took a sip of his water.

"It'll be like we're parents," Steve chuckled, "Only seeing them on holidays. And that's if we're lucky."

"Nah," Natasha denied, looking back at Maria. "She couldn't last a week without me. I'd be forced to move in and be the awkward third wheel."

"Don't worry," Steve assured her, taking her lemonade and trading her for his water. "When you call and beg me to keep you company, I'll be there."

"Good," Natasha nodded, snagging her lemonade back just as the waitress brought them their food. "Now, how about I trade you some fries for your mozzarella sticks?"

"Deal," Steve agreed, already stealing a handful of her french fries and dumping them on his plate.


	8. A Brock Rumlow Problem Requires a Steve Rogers' Solution

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> With the new school year and new schedules, Steve now has the same free periods as Natasha. This isn't necessarily interesting information, aside from the fact it means that now he can definitely do something about Natasha's "Rumlow Problem". And he intends to do just that.

One of the many things that had changed since the last year was Steve and Natasha's relationship. Tony and Clint insisted they were finally acting on their secret feelings for each other while Maria and Sam teased them about how they were more like parents to their friend group than college kids. Thor and Bruce tended to leave them alone, thank goodness, but it didn't entirely make up for the relentless teasing they received. For the most part, Steve felt like his feelings for Natasha had calmed down. They were both comfortable around each other and could often be found together on the weekends, but Steve's heart didn't flutter excessively when she smiled and he didn't feel like kissing her every time she wore lipstick.

Another thing that had changed since last year was schedules. Natasha still had the second period free, but now Steve did as well. They had three classes together during the day and two study periods, five more periods together than last year.

"Library after class?" Steve asked, walking Natasha to her first-period class. She nodded.

"You have my French notebook, right?" she asked. Steve nodded and pulled her in for a hug. She wrapped her arms around his shoulders and kissed his cheek as she pulled away. "Great. Finish copying notes then meet me in the library. I'm taking my notebook back the second I see you. You're not the only one that needs to study."

"I know, I know," Steve chuckled. He dropped his arms from around her and shoved her toward her class. "Now get to class or you'll be late."

"Yes, sir," Natasha said, saluting as she walked backwards into the classroom.

* * *

It was five minutes into the second period of the day and while Natasha was sitting at a back table in the library, Steve was not. He'd texted her right after class, telling her he hadn't finished the notes and would be a few minutes. She'd just snorted at the fact he was probably crouched over in some hallway, vigorously writing in his own notebook. Until he joined her, she figured she could study for her psychology class.

"Hey, sorry I'm late, babe."

Natasha looked up in confusion, not recognising the voice and very confused as to who would call her 'babe'. When she saw Rumlow, she huffed in frustration and went back to her studying. He slipped into the chair beside her and wrapped an arm around her shoulders before leaning down to read over her notes. She inhaled sharply as she felt his breath hit the back of her neck.

"What's wrong, baby? Haven't seen you all summer," Rumlow said, nuzzling her face. Natasha stood up abruptly, her head hitting Rumlow's chin and making him bite his tongue. He yelled out in pain and cupped his jaw.

"Leave me alone, Rumlow," she hissed, snatching her notebook from his hands. He stood up as well and stepped toward her. She immediately stepped back and bumped into someone. She didn't even have to turn around to know it was Steve.

"Get lost, Brock," Steve told him, putting a hand on Natasha's shoulder. Her back was pressed into his chest in an attempt to get as far away from Rumlow as possible. "We're not doing this again this year."

"Yeah?" Rumlow taunted, stepping towards Natasha again. "And who are you to stop me, Rogers? It's not like she's your girlfriend."

"I am," Natasha said before Steve could think of what to say. Rumlow raised an eyebrow at her, skeptical at best. Without hesitation, she turned around and grabbed Steve's face, gently pulling him down to meet her lips. If Steve was surprised, he hid it well. He kissed her back without hesitation, wrapping an arm around her waist as he did and internally jumping up and down.

"That's just disgusting," Rumlow grumbled, walking away. Natasha pulled back and gave Steve a weak smile.

"I'm sorry," she immediately said, stepping back to put distance between them. "It was the only thing I could think of to make him stop, but I didn't mean to make you uncomfortable."

"Nat, does it look like I'm uncomfortable?" Steve asked, failing to hide the smile on his face. She paused as she looked at him. "I hate Rumlow, yeah, but if he's the reason I get to kiss you, I'll have to thank him." Steve made a face at the thought and Natasha laughed, covering her mouth to muffle the loud sound in the library.

"You like me?" she asked, the smile still on her face from her laugh. Steve rolled his eyes.

"Well, I am your best friend, so I have to like you," he retorted. Natasha gave him a look but he just grinned. "Yes, Natasha, I like you. I have for about two years now, I just didn't want to pressure you."

"You're the worst best friend ever," she replied solemnly. Steve paused, not having expected that. "You're supposed to tell me these things."

"I'm sorry?" he said, not sure where this was going. Before he could process what was happening, Natasha had wrapped her arms around his neck and was kissing him again. He smiled and pulled her closer, stepping around the bookcase to hide from prying eyes. When they finally pulled apart, Natasha didn't step back.

"I like you too, you idiot," she said softly. Steve's grin widened and he hugged her tightly, lifting her off the ground as he did. She stifled a squeal as she flailed in his arms, hugging his neck for balance.

"Would you be willing to go on a date with me?" he asked, figuring he'd rather make whatever they had official before assuming anything.

"Of course," she replied, kissing his cheek. "After we drop off Maria at the house."

"Yes, ma'am," Steve smiled, leaning down to kiss her again. _Great_ , he thought to himself. Now he had to thank Brock Rumlow.


	9. First Dates and Robbers

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Steve and Natasha go on what their friends call their first "official date". Unfortunately, things don't go exactly how they planned and somehow they end up walking home.

"Aww!" Maria exclaimed, watching Natasha grab her phone and a twenty-dollar bill. The two of them had spent the last hour getting Natasha ready for her first "official date" with Steve. Everyone had collectively agreed (besides Steve and Natasha) that the coffee date after school a week ago hadn't counted. It was a fair enough argument seeing as they regularly went out for coffee together, so they humoured their friends and were now going on a real date.

"Shut up," Natasha said, hiding a smile to glare playfully at Maria. Maria just grinned as Natasha slipped on a pair of Maria's heels, effectively dressing up her black jeans and dark leather jacket. While they had agreed to do a real date, they still weren't planning on going to an extremely fancy restaurant for the night. Besides, Natasha loved her leather jacket and rarely wore it outside of school.

"You're just too cute," Maria told her, pulling Natasha in for a short hug before she could completely slip away. "Have a great night, but be back before morning or the boys will talk."

"Stop it!" Natasha yelled, shoving Maria away from her. She opened their door, shutting it loudly as Maria laughed behind her. She walked downstairs to find Steve, unsurprised when she saw him talking to Clint. Thankfully, Tony was out for the night with some of his MIT friends, so Natasha and Steve weren't ruthlessly teased all afternoon. Unfortunately, Clint had taken that job upon himself.

"Have fun, kids!" he called as Steve opened the door for Natasha. "But not too much fun."

"Goodbye, Clint," Steve said pointedly, shutting the door behind him. They walked down to the garage but instead of going toward his car, Steve led Natasha to his motorcycle. "I figured it would be easier to take around Boston. Besides, it's a nice night."

"I'm driving," Natasha immediately announced, climbing on the bike before Steve could disagree. He just chuckled and climbed on behind her, wrapping his arms around her waist as she started up the bike and sped out of the parking garage.

* * *

Many missed turns and near misses later, they finally pulled up outside the restaurant. The parking lot was full, so Natasha drove down the street to find a good spot to park. She found an empty place about a block away and parked Steve's motorcycle there. As they climbed off, she fixed her hair and checked her pocket for her phone and money. Once she was sure it was still securely in her pocket, she grabbed Steve's hand and allowed him to walk her back up the street to the restaurant.

"This is cute," she said as they walked inside. It was a small place but it was packed full of people. For a moment, she worried the restaurant wouldn't have room for them, then Steve was asking about his reservation and she relaxed.

"Right this way," the hostess said, grabbing two menus and leading them to a table. They were right next to another couple, but they didn't seem to notice Steve and Natasha join them. The hostess handed them the menus then returned to the front while they looked over the food.

"I've never actually been here," Steve admitted, glancing through the menu. "Sam recommended it, though. Said he and Maria really liked it, so I figured we could try it out."

"They have borscht," Natasha said suddenly, looking up at Steve with a smile. "I love it already."

"I'm glad it lives up to your standards," Steve chuckled. Natasha set aside her menu, already knowing what she wanted, and looked around the restaurant until Steve had figured out what he was going to eat.

* * *

Natasha and Steve stayed until the restaurant closed. It was nearing midnight when they finally walked out of the cozy little place but neither of them cared. They could be back at the apartment in fifteen minutes with how short a drive it was; less than that if Natasha drove again. However, as they walked down the street, they didn't see Steve's bike. Natasha frowned as they continued on to the next block, certain they hadn't parked that far away.

"I swear I parked down here," Natasha said, stopping at the end of the second block. There was no way they had parked three blocks away, she was certain of that.

"Let's check again," Steve suggested, eyeing the group of guys ahead and deciding he didn't want to continue forward. If Natasha noticed, she didn't say anything. Instead, they walked all the way back up the street and to the restaurant.

"It's gone," Natasha stated bluntly, staring down the street. The motorcycle was absolutely nowhere in sight.

"How would you even steal a motorcycle?" Steve wondered aloud. Natasha's hands went to her pockets, feeling around for the keys but not finding them.

"Oh my god, Steve," she gasped, freezing as the realisation hit her. Steve immediately reached out to make sure she was okay, worried something had happened only for her to look up at him with a horrified expression. "I left the keys in the bike," she whispered, covering her mouth with one hand. "I'm so sorry, Steve. Oh my god, I can't believe I did that."

"Hey, hey," Steve said, pulling her into his chest as she covered her face in horror. "It's okay, I was in need of a new bike anyway. I can call the police in the morning and report it, it's no big deal."

"I'm so sorry," she groaned, feeling worse and worse as the realisation continued to set in. "How are you gonna get home?"

"We can take the train," Steve assured her, pulling out his phone to map out where the nearest train station was. A few seconds of searching revealed they were only a ten-minute walk away and the next train to Cambridge left in fifteen minutes. "If we start walking now, we'll be there in plenty of time. We can talk about it more on the train."

"I'm so, so sorry," Natasha mumbled again, shifting as they began to walk down the street. Steve's arm remained securely around her shoulders and she kept her arm around his waist. Every now and then, she'd apologise again only for Steve to assure her it was alright. Eventually, she stopped and the walk was just quiet.

When they arrived at the station, they had three minutes until the train departed. Steve quickly bought their tickets then they sprinted down to board the train. It was mostly empty and not difficult to find a seat, but the moment they sat down, the doors closed and the train started up.

"Maria's wondering where we're at," Natasha mumbled, looking down at her phone. Steve glanced at the screen but didn't read the texts.

"We'll be there in about an hour," Steve replied. While the train ride was only fifteen minutes, the walk from the station to their apartment would take just over half an hour.

Steve had been on the subways and in train stations before, but there was something different about doing it at midnight. The few people in their train car were either drunk, high, or some other kind of suspicious and when they finally arrived in Cambridge, Steve was happy to be leaving.

The streets were quiet and although it had been warm in the afternoon, it was now bitterly cold, a common occurrence in early October, Steve supposed. Natasha was huddled close beside him due to both the cold and the leering strangers they passed on the sidewalk. Steve had walked and driven down these streets before, but they were a whole new world after midnight.

"We should have called Clint to pick us up," Natasha said quietly, pressing even closer to Steve as a man across the street whistled loudly. Steve glared at him as he yelled something crude at her and wrapped his arm around her tighter.

"We're only fifteen minutes away now," Steve guessed. They'd been making good time, walking faster than he'd thought they would. While he didn't know the exact distance to the apartment, he knew they were getting very close.

"My feet hurt," Natasha grumbled to herself, stopping in the middle of the sidewalk. Steve stopped beside her, watching as she slipped off her heels and held them in one hand. The cement was cold, but at least her feet were no longer aching.

"Hop on," Steve told her, turning his back to her. He reached behind his back to grab her and after only a little hesitation, she jumped on his back. Steve made sure he had a solid grip on her before continuing their walk home.

He moved at a faster pace, no longer having to worry about Natasha keeping up as she was on his back. Within nine minutes, they were walking into the apartment complex and heading toward the elevator. As the doors closed, Natasha slipped off Steve's back.

"I really am sorry about your bike," Natasha said, looking up at Steve as they stepped off the elevator. Steve just pulled her against his side and kissed her temple.

"And I really don't care," he told her softly. "I'll talk to the police in the morning and even if I don't get it back, it won't matter. It wasn't worth much anymore and I needed a new one."

"Still," Natasha said, stopping outside their apartment. Steve leaned down and kissed her lips softly.

"If you're really sorry, then you'll stop apologising," he teased. She frowned as he unlocked the door.

"I'm not sure that's how it works," Natasha mumbled, following him into the dark apartment. Nevertheless, she stopped apologising and when the police did manage to return Steve's bike, he just smirked and they left it at that.


	10. Of Ballet Recitals and Thunderstorms

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Natasha accidentally texts the group chat instead of just Steve and Maria about her upcoming ballet recital. As it turns out, everyone wants to come.

In Natasha's defense, she had plenty of good reasons why she didn't want her entire apartment of friends to come to her recital. Reason one: they tended to take up a lot of space and were generally very loud. Reason two: where one of more are gathered, literally thousands more will arrive (they tended to reach out to other friends and invite them as well; hence why Sam, Pepper, someone named Valkyrie, a dude named Korg (?), and some small guy Thor called Meek were here). And reason number three: Tony. Enough said. She loved all her friends, but ballet recitals were one of the few things she liked to keep separate from them. Unfortunately, her phone hadn't been her friend this time around and now they were all sitting in the front row, loudly and anxiously waiting for the program to begin.

"Tony, sit down, for god's sake," Steve said for the third time. He and Maria had agreed to be on "damage control", as Natasha called it. Considering neither of them had been particularly against the entire group coming, they had volunteered to keep the group under control.

"I want it to start," Tony grumbled, slouching in his seat next to Pepper. She patted his hand, not pausing in her conversation with Thor and Bruce's new friend Val. The two had hit it off immediately, leaving Maria to take care of Bruce, Thor, Korg, and Meek. She'd given up and left to get Dutch Bros ten minutes ago.

"It starts in two minutes," Clint told him, not looking up from his phone game. "I bet you twenty dollars you can't keep your mouth shut that long."

Steve was torn between telling Clint to be mature or thank him for getting Tony to stop. He wasn't left with too long to think about it as the lights began to dim a minute early and everyone quieted down. Tony turned to Clint and demanded he pay up only to be reminded it had only been a minute and a half, leaving Tony to pay Clint instead.

"Alright, now shut up," Steve hissed at them, swatting at them as the music began and dancers filed onstage.

* * *

The second the recital was finished and the music stopped, the entire front row stood up and erupted into a frenzy of cheering and clapping. If Steve didn't know better, he would have thought they'd rehearsed it. However, he supposed watching your best friend dance the lead role perfectly would do that to a bunch of overworked college kids, so instead of laughing at them, he found himself joining them in hollering out happily.

"And to think," Tony mused, "She almost didn't let us come."

"Well, you were pretty obnoxious," Clint reminded him. Tony frowned and turned to swat at Clint. Steve rolled his eyes and moved to go talk with Sam and Maria, but he was stopped by someone jumping on his back.

"Hello!" Natasha exclaimed, wrapping her arms and legs around him tightly. Steve smiled and patted her arms, causing her to let go of him. "What did you think?"

"Hmm," Steve stalled, turning around to look at Natasha. She was still covered in glitter and had her pointe shoes draped around her neck. Her black leotard was partially covered by the grey sweatpants covering her tights. She was no longer wearing the black tutu she'd had during the last performance and the matching headdress was gone as well, but her face was still sparkling with silver and black glitter just like her arms and neck.

"He loved it," Clint offered, grinning as Steve was still distracted by all the glitter. "Couldn't take his eyes off the lead ballerina, though. Maybe you should be worried about competition."

"Yeah?" Natasha teased, poking Steve's side. He grabbed her hand and pulled her arms around his waist. She happily hugged him and he kissed her temple, resigning himself to have glitter on his face as well.

"You definitely should be worried," he hummed, peppering her face with small kisses. "The lead ballerina was quite something."

"Really?" Natasha prodded, hugging him tighter when he kissed a particularly ticklish spot. Steve grinned and kissed behind her ear again, getting the same reaction.

"Oh yes," he continued, pulling back to look at her. "She was stunning. Of course, she was covered in glitter and wearing a tutu, but I'm sure she looks just as wonderful in sweatpants and her boyfriend's sweater. She was absolutely perfect, too. The best ballerina to ever dance in the country."

"I'm sure that's an exaggeration," Natasha laughed. Steve frowned and shook his head.

"Nope, don't think it is," he replied. Before he could continue to tease Natasha, she was pulled out of his arms and into Maria and Pepper's. Both girls praised her recital as Tony handed Natasha a bouquet of roses Steve hadn't noticed him bring in.

"It was great, Red," Tony admitted, kissing her cheek before returning to his argument about some physics thing with Bruce and Thor that Steve didn't understand.

"How about we go get some food?" Val suggested. She'd only just met Natasha the other day, but just like with Pepper, she'd hit it off with Maria and Natasha right away.

"I'm starving!" Natasha exclaimed. Val laughed and Pepper smiled. "I'll go get my bag then we can head out, okay?"

While Natasha disappeared to gather her things, the group packed up and walked out of the theatre. They stepped into the lobby and waited for Natasha, talking amongst themselves until she reappeared.

"Let's get food!" she cheered, jumping on Steve's back again. Her pointe shoes were no longer around her neck but she had a small drawstring bag on her back.

"I was thinking shwarma," Tony announced, opening the front doors for them. As they stepped out, they suddenly became aware of the fact is was pouring outside. They paused under the roof, creating a rather large line-up of people.

"We'll get the cars," Steve said, setting Natasha down. He looked at Sam, Tony, and Thor then nodded out at the rain. "Let's go."

"But it's storming!" Tony whined, pulling his jacket over his head. Thor happily stepped into the downpour and was soaked in an instant.

"It's just a storm," he said. Thunder roared overhead and the lights in the theatre flickered. "It's wonderful!"

"Yeah, tell us that after you get the cars," Val said, waving the three of them off to get the cars.

"You owe us!" Tony yelled, running into the rain and squawking as he did. They could hear Thor's laugh from outside the theatre and only a few minutes later, three vans pulled up outside. They piled into the various cars, shaking off the water they'd managed to accumulate in their short trip then headed off to the nearest shwarma joint.


	11. The Moving Out of Maria Hill

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> If Natasha knew Sam was planning on asking Maria to move in with him, she would have killed him in his sleep. It's too late now, though, so she's stuck helping her best friend move out of their shared room and no, she was not crying last night no matter what Maria says.

Natasha hated this. The boxes stacked up on Maria's bare bed and the empty closet half that used to be hers were horrible to look at. She'd made sure Maria knew she was upset about her decision, but she also made sure she wasn't making Maria feel too bad about it. While she absolutely loved rooming with her, she didn't want Maria to regret taking the next step in her relationship with Sam (even if she did give the latter an earful).

"That's everything," Maria sighed, closing up the last box and turning to look at Natasha. She'd been packing for the past three days, but now she had everything packed up and labeled. "You know you can visit, right? Like, every day. Cause if you don't, I'm going to kidnap Steve and make you come over."

"I'm going to visit, trust me," Natasha said, glaring at the box closest to her. "Getting me to stop visiting is going to be your problem."

"I don't I'll really kick you out," Maria told her with a small smile. Natasha rolled her eyes.

"You will when you and Sam want to have sex but I'm still watching raunchy rom-coms on your bed and getting popcorn everywhere," Natasha told her. Now Maria rolled her eyes.

"How about we play it by ear?" she suggested. Natasha shrugged and slipped off her bed, grabbing a box and resisting the urge to hold it ransom. A quick investigation revealed that there was nothing important in the box and holding it up for ransom would just be stupid.

Maria picked up a box as well and both girls walked through the bedroom door. As they passed through the living room, Steve and Sam stopped their conversation to go grab some boxes of their own. Natasha managed to trick Clint into carrying a box, passing hers to him with the excuse that she needed to tie her shoe. It wasn't until Clint noticed she was barefoot that he realised he'd been tricked and followed Maria downstairs to Sam's car.

With five people carrying boxes to Sam's car, it didn't take long for them to move everything. In fact, only the boys took two trips while Natasha and Maria played Tetris with the boxes and made them all fit in Sam's car. When the last box had been brought down and Maria was climbing into Sam's car, Natasha frowned.

"Hey, it'll be okay," Maria said softly, hugging Natasha tightly. The second she'd realised Natasha was upset again, she'd jumped away from the car and thrown herself at her friend.

"I'm coming over tomorrow, just so you know," Natasha said, her voice muffled by Maria's shoulder.

"There'll be tea on the stove," Maria replied. They stood in silence for a few seconds before Maria slowly pulled away. "Keep the boys in line, yeah?"

"What else am I gonna do with all my free time?" Natasha laughed, wiping at her eyes before her tears could trickle down. Maria bit her lip and hugged Natasha again. "I'm not crying," she grumbled. Maria laughed.

"No, there's something in your eye," she replied. Natasha nodded and they both laughed. "I really do have to go now."

"Fine," Natasha relented, stepping back so Maria could finally get in the car. "Good luck."

"You'll need it more than me," Maria teased, slipping into Sam's car. Sam started the engine and Maria waved at Natasha as they drove away. Natasha grinned, watching the car until it had disappeared. After they had turned the corner, her shoulders dropped and she turned toward Steve.

"You should have moved in with him," she whined. Steve just laughed and wrapped an arm around her shoulders. He kissed her head and led her into the apartment complex.

"Please, it will feel like I have to by next week with how often you'll be over there," he teased, receiving an elbow to the ribs.

"You're an ass," she muttered. Steve grinned widely and stepped onto the elevator.

"But you love me."

"Actually, the jury's out right now. I could swing either way."


	12. A Book, Fake Flowers, and a Condom

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rainy days sometimes make for the best dates.

What was supposed to be a fun spring afternoon roaming through Boston and exploring the nearby farmer's market had turned into a dreary, cold afternoon stuck at home. Steve had really been looking forward to getting out of the house for the day, but with the sudden rainstorm overhead, it wasn't looking like that would happen. Tony told him there was always next time and they could do something fun indoors, but Steve was still upset the weather had ruined his plans.

"It's not lame to go to the mall or something," Tony said, sprawled out on the couch as he waited for Clint to take his turn in their Monopoly game.

"I know, but it's not as fun either," Steve grumbled. He watched Clint carefully roll the dice then whine when he landed directly on Tony's property. Tony was immediately pulled back into the game to claim his money and Steve was left on his own to figure out what to do. For the most part, everyone was downstairs playing Monopoly. Pepper had come over for god knows what a couple hours ago and ever since nearly the entire household had been busy trying to beat her. The only ones who weren't playing were Bruce, Natasha, and Steve.

As Steve walked up the stairs, he'd tried to figure out what they could do for a date instead. He knew Natasha would be done for pretty much anything, but he didn't want to just throw something together last minute. Unfortunately, he realised he would either have to cancel their date or make something up as they went.

"Come in," Natasha called when Steve knocked on her door. He walked in half expecting to see her doing her hair or getting dressed, so he was surprised to find her curled up on her bed reading a book. She was still in her pyjama shorts and one of Steve's sweaters, her hair thrown up in a messy bun. If Steve hadn't seen her for breakfast, he would have thought she'd woken up, grabbed her book, and hadn't moved since.

"You do know we have a date today, right?" he teased, climbing onto the bed beside her. She shifted so she was leaning against him but didn't look up from her book.

"I figured it was cancelled with the rain," she admitted. Steve chuckled and kissed her head. He looked around the room, spotting some fake flowers on her nightstand and grinned. Struggling not to disrupt Natasha, he reached toward the flowers and took them out of their vase. When she glanced up at him, he grinned cheekily and handed them to her.

"A gift," he told her. She laughed and rolled her eyes but took the flowers. "As an apology for our date being cancelled."

"You're so dramatic," she laughed. She set the flowers beside her and continued to read. Steve didn't mind. He adjusted them until he was snuggled up against her and wrapped his arms around her waist. Her hand went to his head, gently playing with his hair as he buried his face in her chest.

They stayed like that for hours. At some point, Steve drifted off to sleep while Natasha continued to read. She finished her book before he woke up and played on her phone until he did. She was in the middle of a game when her door was thrown open and Clint walked in. Steve jumped awake at the loud chatter even though it stopped the second Clint realised what he'd walked in on.

"Well, this is awkward," he said, not sounding fazed in the slightest.

"Leave us alone, asshole," Natasha told him, grabbing a pillow and throwing it at him.

"Okay, okay!" he conceded, ducking out of her room quickly. Steve grumbled as he laid back down, getting comfortable once again. He'd just relaxed when Clint came back in and threw a box at them. The door slammed shut before Steve or Natasha could look at the box, but that didn't stop Natasha from flying off the bed to throw the box of condoms back at Clint's head. At least they'd had peace for a little while.


	13. The One Where Rumlow Gets Expelled

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rumlow pushes his limits and gets expelled thanks to Tony personally contacting the school. The group definitely does not throw a party to celebrate.

All Natasha wanted was to have a nice, relaxing study period in the library. Her first class had been let out early so she had gone to the library to get some extra studying in before Steve joined her. She had forgotten how annoying Brock Rumlow had been before Steve had stepped in and started joining her in the library every free period they had. Unfortunately for her, Rumlow didn't give her a minute to remember before he was sliding into an empty chair at her table and smiling.

"Hey, Nat," he said, putting a hand over hers. Natasha twisted her pencil in her hand and stabbed his palm without so much as blinking. Rumlow gasped, but she had hardly stabbed him hard enough to draw blood. There was a mark, sure, but nothing serious that he wouldn't recover from.

"Get lost," she muttered, not looking up from her notebook.

"What the fuck was that?" Rumlow hissed, rubbing his hand. She didn't reply so Rumlow snatched her notebook and moved it out of her reach. She glared at him and tried to grab it back, but he held it behind him. She lunged for it and Rumlow wrapped his free arm around her back, locking her in place. Her eyes widened as she realised she was practically sitting on his lap and she immediately forgot about her notebook in favour of escaping his grip.

"Let me go, Rumlow," she demanded, clawing at his arm. He slid her notebook far across the table and wrapped both arms around her.

"Why? You're the one that jumped on me," he told her. She scowled. "Not so tough without your trusty pencil, huh?"

"Let me go and I'll show you just what I can do with that pencil," she threatened. Rumlow's eyes sparkled in glee and she mentally berated herself for falling into that one.

"I'll make you a deal," he offered, tightening his grip when she managed to squirm away a little. "You kiss me and I'll leave you alone forever."

"I have my doubts," she muttered. Rumlow shrugged, telling her there was only one way to find out. "I'm not kissing you."

"Fine, then the deal's off," he told her. She was about to tell him there had never been a deal to begin with, but he smashed his lips into hers and she gasped. He bit her lower lip aggressively and Natasha yelped at the pain and he managed to shove his tongue into her mouth. Furious, Natasha bit his tongue harshly and he yelled out in pain. He released her immediately and she scrambled away from him. As he cussed her out, she packed up her backpack hastily and rushed out of the library. She was in such a rush she almost didn't see Steve in front of her. She barely stopped in time to avoid colliding with him.

"Nat, what happened?" he asked, reaching out to steady her. Natasha couldn't seem to find the right words to explain, but she was saved from having to tell him when Rumlow came storming out of the library. His tongue was bleeding profusely and he was struggling to keep it from dripping everywhere. He glared at Natasha fiercely, ignoring Steve as he jogged to the nurse's office.

"Yeah, that," she managed to say. Steve watched Rumlow in mild shock, still trying to put together how that could have happened. When he couldn't figure it out, he turned back to Natasha. He bottom lip was bleeding as well, not nearly as bad as Rumlow's tongue, but still noticeably cut.

"What happened?" he repeated. Natasha gestured down the hall where Rumlow had disappeared. "Okay, but what exactly did Rumlow do?"

"He stole my notebook," Natasha began. She recounted the event, fingering her bloodied lip and frowning when her fingers came away red. "He just won't leave me alone."

"I think it's time we told the others," Steve told her. Natasha looked up at him in horror and he gently cupped her face. "We can get Tony to call the school. He'll be expelled and you won't have to worry about him."

"But do we have to tell everyone?" she asked. Steve sighed. "Just Tony, alright?"

"Alright," Steve agreed, kissing her temple. "Now let's go clean up your lip."

* * *

Later that night, Steve pulled Tony aside and briefly explained how a kid named Brock Rumlow had been bothering Natasha. He didn't have to go into any detail before Tony was nodding and searching for the school's phone number. He didn't care that no one answered, he left an angry message for the poor secretary to find in the morning, demanding Brock Rumlow be expelled or he would publicly shame the university for allowing sexual harassment on campus. After a whole week of no Rumlow on campus, Steve realised Tony's angry message had actually worked.

"You should hear what they're saying about him," Natasha told Tony. Clint and Thor were playing Jenga while Bruce dozed off at the kitchen table. "Some people think he attacked you personally while others say he was sleeping with teachers and their kids."

"Ew," Tony grimaced. Natasha nodded, her own look of disgust matching Tony's. Steve was busy reading, only kind of paying attention to their conversation. Natasha's last comment did grab his attention, though, and he looked up in confusion.

"Don't worry about it," she said, patting his arm from where she was lying on top of him. They had claimed the entire couch, forcing Tony into the easy chair and Thor and Clint on the floor.

"I'm going to worry about it," Steve told her. He had no context for what she'd just said and keeping it that way pretty much guaranteed he'd have the wrong idea.

"Rumours about Rumlow," Tony clarified. That didn't really make things better, but Steve just decided to go back to his book instead of asking more questions.

"We should throw a party," Clint suggested. He looked completely engrossed in his game of Jenga and whether he'd said it unconsciously or if he had actually been paying attention, Natasha wasn't sure.

"Why?"

"To celebrate Rumlow's disappearance from our lives, duh," he responded. That was the last thing he said before focusing all his attention on his Jenga game.

"Let's do it," Tony agreed. He stood abruptly from his chair and Natasha raised an eyebrow at him. "Obviously not tonight, but we have to start planning it."

"You just want to throw another party," she commented. Tony shrugged as he snagged his tablet off the stand beside the couch and sat back in his chair.

"Sue me, but you'll lose," he told her, settling down comfortably. "Trust me, this is the best reason to throw a party ever."

"Alright," Natasha shrugged, snuggling closer to Steve. "As long as it doesn't involve drugs and horny strangers."

"Deal."


End file.
